in cash, plus stock. It was based on the numbers we had. It was kind of
bogus, but whatever. They had a division called CompuServe, and we were
going to be bought by CompuServe. We had board approval from both sides.
We got sued a day or two before the deal was consummated. This was not very
good. I was used to bad things happening at the last moment.
If that had happened, we would have ended up with all the stuff we were
doing over at CompuServe. The world would have been quite...

that.
It is worth it sometimes, if you can do it, to reach for the stars. Microsoft
didn’t reach for the stars. Microsoft was step by step by step to where they got,
and it was profitable all the way to it. So that’s the traditional way of doing it.
The Google, Netscape way, those things, sometimes it works, and sometimes—
usually—it doesn’t. But sometimes it does, and the payoffs are incredible. But,
if you’re a business person who wants your business to succeed, as a business,
because you like that business, you...

couples who spat all the time, always yelling at each other. It wasn’t as bad
as some businesses, where it actually is a married couple. But our friendship
has continued to this day. As people know, in the business—like Bill Gates is
known for this, about being really tough in meetings, and arguing and stuff like
that—that’s just a way of testing your own understanding of things. By arguing
with others about it, that’s how you learn. And, if somebody can’t take the arguing
with it, then maybe they don’t really believe in what...

people had to stay on to close down the company and all the liabilities for a year
or two; it was a mess.
All those things happen, all the time—the wonderful ups and horrible
downs, but that’s what business is all about. And it’s very personal. There are a
lot of personal things. It’s running into people. And how did I know that I
should talk to Mitch? Well, our insurance agent was also his business insurance
agent, and he talked to Mitch. So I knew that Mitch knew what was happening
with...